However, if you’re planning to cook frequently with your grill, it might be beneficial to purchase an adapter hose, which will allow you to use a larger 20-pound propane tank with your portable grill. Cuisinart’s Venture portable gas grill looks like something Apple would make if Apple got into grills. It’s really a two-part grill that packs up into a lightweight, easy-to-carry package.
While researching portable grills for this article, she spoke with Jess Pryles, grilling expert and author of “Hardcore Carnivore” for tips on grilling on the go. Finally, we tested the portable grills for portability, including how easily they could collapse for storage and return to their grilling position. I am a big fan of the porcelain-enameled, cast iron grill grates. The cast iron retains the heat very well and the enamel makes it easy to clean. “Cooks fantastic, easy folding shelves, easy assembly is not rocket science. Cooks anything great so far and if you use the drip tray for wood chips, dry, it will smoke fantastic.
My next experiment involved smoking a salmon fillet so I followed the instructions and replaced the left-hand grill top with the smoking tray and filled it with wood chips. Why Weber suggest the left side and not the right I don’t know – I mean it’s not as if the left side of the heating element is a different temperature to the right. But anyway, Weber recommend starting on full heat for about 5 minutes to get the chips smoking and then reducing the temperature by turning the dial to the smoke icon.
But if you’re doing meat and veggies for a family of four, you’re going to be cooking in batches. Most meats need to rest when they’re done cooking anyway, giving you time to do your veggies. In my testing, the Mini Big Green Egg has excellent heat control and, like the larger version, is extremely fuel-efficient. No thermometer is included, and Weber does not make a storage cover weber bbq for the Jumbo Joe. If you want to do any indirect-heat cooking, you’ll want to buy the hinged grill grate for $35 so you can feed in fresh fuel without removing the top grill, and the $23 charcoal basket is also useful. The KettlePizza add-on kit ($250) is fun, but way more expensive than the grill itself; there’s a cheaper basic version, but it’s currently out of stock.
This Weber Q3200 review shows that it is the newer model of the Q320. In this Weber Q3200 review, I will give you all the pros and cons of this Weber gas grill and updated customer reviews. The Spruce Eats commerce writer Jason Horn updated this roundup. He’s been grilling since being put in charge of the hot dogs at a family party when he was probably 7 years old, and he’s been writing professionally about food and drinks for nearly two decades. He lives in Los Angeles, where it’s feasible to grill just about every day of the year. That said, most of the time when I hit the road I grab Weber’s Connect Smart Hub ($100).
It also has a built-in thermometer that’s reasonably accurate, but I still suggest getting a separate instant-read thermometer. While slow-cooking on the Takibi would be challenging, you can at least adjust the grill height to control temperature. My only real complaint is that without a lid you can’t smother your remaining charcoal and reuse it, but in most cases when the food is done I load up the Takibi with firewood and enjoy it as a fire pit. Because it’s a pop-up model, there are a few pieces to fit together, but the instructions are pretty simple, and attaching the propane bottle is as easy as it should be. It’s not a large grill, but we fit 10 of the allotted 12 burgers on without significantly overcrowding it, and 12 large onion slices in the test previous to that.
There is an add-on cast iron coal bed ($26) that holds charcoal, but I don’t see it as necessary (nice to have perhaps, but not necessary). Of all the charcoal grills I tested, the Weber Jumbo Joe strikes the best balance of affordability, features, and ease of use. Warm weather is still a ways off for many of us, but this is time of year when, like a groundhog, the weber gas grill grill starts to poke out of the snow and show its rusty, neglected self. If you’re in need of a new grill this year, here’s our guide to the very best portable grills. We’ve researched and tested dozens of portable grills to see which can brat the best. We put 23 gas grills through tests that replicate what the average consumer would do after purchasing a grill.
All in all, I’d say all three tests were a resounding success and I might even consider switching over to electric when I’m not using my trusty pellet grill. When it comes to recommending reputable barbecue brands, I usually alight on three main players – Weber, Broil King and Napoleon. In my experience, these three manufacturers consistently produce some of the best performing and most robust barbecues you can buy.
Keep in mind that this is a little different than normal grilling, since it cooks from the top and bottom, which means your food cooks faster. This will ensure that your food doesn’t stick to the grill plates. Thanks to its dual-vent system (one at the bottom, one at the top), you get the same fine-grained level of temperature control you’ll find in Weber’s full-size kettles. The RoadTrip is another portable grill that suffers from significant temperature inconsistencies on the grill, which, unfortunately, knock it out of the running. Since the burners are in the middle and not on the side I think indirect grilling is not easy on this grill.